The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) , Chief Osita Okechukwu, has described Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s “bipartisan approach to governance” as commendable, noting that it has brought immense development, peace and goodwill to the state as well as a sense of belonging to the people of Enugu State.
Chief Okechukwu spoke when members of the Federal Government Implementation Committee for the Proposed ICT University in Enugu State, led by its chairman, Dr. Henry Nkemadu paid a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, Enugu.
The director-general said the idea for the university was driven by President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision to use ICT as an employment-creating tool, adding that it would further boost the state’s economy and provide job opportunities for youths in the state and beyond.
“Why we are here is because you have demonstrated a bipartisan approach to governance. At any point in time, you (Ugwuanyi) do not demarcate between what President Muhammadu Buhari is doing and what you are doing and we appreciate that. There are governors that will tell you that this is not a state matter. But you take Enugu State and wherever that is coming to the State serious and you embrace that. We salute you for that”, said VON Director General.
On his part, the leader of the delegation, Dr. Nkemadu, said that they were in Enugu at the behest of the president to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of the facilities at the Digital Bridge Institute, Enugu, with the aim of converting it to a campus of the ICT University of Nigeria being established by the federal government.
He noted further that it was the intention of the federal government to convert the other five campuses of the Digital Bridge Institutes into ICT University, adding that they were impressed with what they saw on ground, which is an indication that the ICT University is ready to take off in Enugu.
The Committee leader pointed out that companies such as Dangote and Microsoft had indicated interest in the project.
In his remark, Governor Ugwuanyi pledged the support and cooperation of the state government and commended the federal government for its choice of Enugu as one of the six campuses of the university, explaining that it would both complement his administration’s ICT policy and make Enugu the hub of ICT studies and application in the South-East region.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that ICT has become an indispensable and the most effective platform for rapid sustainable development in the 21st Century. This will certainly add to the rising profile of Enugu State as the academic, aviation and business hub of the region.
“We therefore commend the federal government for the wisdom and vision to establish a university that would build capacity and provide the intellectual foundation required to harness the rich potentials in this important area of endeavour,” he said.
